


In Spite Of You

by blitherdooble



Category: Original Work
Genre: 1930s, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Art, Attempted Murder, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Baked Goods, Bakery, Digital Art, Eventual Romance, F/M, Great Depression, Heavy Angst, I'm Bad At Summaries, Lemon Cakes, Murder, Murder-Suicide, Possessive Behavior, Possibly Unrequited Love, Romance, Sad with a Happy Ending, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28848510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blitherdooble/pseuds/blitherdooble
Summary: When orphaned baker Richard meets a lonely girl named Meredith, he didn't expect to fall head over heels in love with her. After Meredith's fiancé's not so mysterious death, Richard battles with himself for Meredith's affection. But soon, his past resurfaces and he makes some really bad decisions.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 3





	In Spite Of You

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what I'm doing but here you go. This was for an English project (the requirement was 300-500 words, I might have overdid it a bit) and decided to post it here. Anyways I used some quotes from Crimson Peak, I just love that movie so much. Enjoy, dear readers.

Meredith shivered as another gust of cold wind blew in from the window. Her breath came out in small puffs of foggy air, her cold hand grasping her mother’s even colder one. Sniffling, she shifted in her seat and gazed down at her mother’s pale face. “Marilyn,” her father spoke, “promise me you’ll wait for me.” Meredith blinked up at her father’s face. He was getting older, his wrinkles lined with worry and made even more defined by the warm glow of the crackling fire. Marilyn managed a smile. Meredith could not look away. Her mother seemed so fragile, wrapped up in multiple layers of blankets, her pale face blending in with the linen pillow. She remembered her mother – how they sang together, how her mother held her and told her that she would protect her. She had imagined them traveling the world, the two of them, along with her father. But now, as she stared at her mother’s weak form, she was not so sure about that anymore. Her mother’s feeble voice calling her name yanked her out of her thoughts. “Promise me you’ll stay strong. For me."

It has been 9 months since Meredith’s mother died, and since then her father’s health has been slowly declining. Meredith was growing increasingly worried as each day passed by. The heavy gloom from Marilyn’s death had never quite gone away. Her mother’s death had been a shock, as well as the reason for her death. Meredith knew that her mother was a kind and caring soul, but she never expected her to starve herself in order to feed the homeless on the streets. Of course, everyone knew that food was scarce, and with the impending sense of doom over the streets, no one was ever quite at rest. Meredith stared at the dusty corner of the kitchen, nibbling on the dry piece of bread crust that she had dug up from the bins. A sharp knock on the door rang out. Meredith rose from her seat, shuffling to greet the guest.

“Hello, is Mister,” the doctor looked down at his papers “Frederick Thomas home?”  
“Yes, right this way please.” Meredith opened the door wider, watching as the retreating back of the doctor as he walked towards her father. She returned to the table, observing as the doctor knelt beside her father laying on the couch. The faint cough coming from her father pierced her heart, her worry increasing tenfold. Her hand drifted down to her dress pockets, rubbing on the small coin. A bolt of determination shot through her thin form.

The bell jiggled as she went in, the happy note seeming out of place in the murky streets yet seeming to fit in with the sweet-smelling cakes surrounding her. The baker emerged from the back. He smiled at her.  
“Why are you so sad?” he asked. He seemed sincere.  
“I’m worried for my father. His health has been horrible, ever since…”  
The baker looked at her with concern in his eyes. “It’s alright, I won’t tell anyone.”  
She hesitated. “Ever since my mother passed away.”  
“Oh.” The baker looked down, moving his foot awkwardly. “Horrible times that we live in, isn’t it? Well, tell you what, you can pick anything in here, and I’ll give it to you, no fee.”  
Meredith’s eyes widened with shock. “No! I mean, I can’t possibly do that. You have to feed your family too! I’ll feel like I’ll be stealing.”  
He managed a half-hearted smile. “It’s quite alright. Anything to help someone out, especially such a sweet thing like yourself.”  
Meredith blushed shyly. “But-”  
“Besides,” he cut in. “I have no family to feed. It’s just me.”  
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Meredith couldn’t imagine a life without her father.  
“It’s fine, I’ve gotten used to being alone without them.” He looked away.  
Meredith could tell that he wasn’t entirely truthful. She didn’t think that she’ll ever get over her mother’s death. And was that… shame in his eyes? No, she must have been mistaken.  
“Well, if you insist.”  
“I do.” His gaze stole away her breath, the intensity in his eyes seeming to see through her soul.  
Meredith tore her eyes away from his as an aroma of sweetness reached her nose. “What’s that?” she asked.  
The baker took a whiff of the air. He smiled. “Oh that. That is my speciality- lemon cake.”  
Following the scent to a beautiful yellow cake, Meredith asked, “How much?”  
“I told you no cost.” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  
“Yes, but I just want to know.”  
“It costs 10¢.”  
Meredith inspected the cake. “I think I’ll take this.”

One week later, and Meredith couldn’t stop thinking about the baker. He was so kind to her, and she didn’t even know his name! When she already had her hand on the doorknob, her father called out to her.  
“Meredith! Where are you going? You must be careful around here these days, you know. There’s all sorts of people going around.”  
“I know, father. I’m just going to thank the baker, you know, for giving us that cake.”  
“Well, take me with you. I’d like to meet him. That cake was exquisite.”  
Meredith opened her mouth to protest, to say that he was too weak, but her father seemed resolute. Meredith sighed. “Alright, father. Just be careful, and dress warmly. It’s getting cold.”

Meredith pushed open the door, the bell ringing out. Her father hobbled after her, looking around at the shelves curiously.  
The baker looked up from the desk. He broke out into a smile, the grin stretching across his face. “Oh, back again?”  
Meredith paused. “Yes, I just felt bad because you were so generous, and I don’t even know your name or anything about you.”  
“In that case, my name is Richard Bourke.”  
Meredith flushed. “Nice to meet you then, Richard. I’m Meredith Thomas.”  
Frederick stepped in. “It’s getting late, Meredith should get going. I’d like to purchase one of your lemon cakes. You have quite the talent, young man.”  
“Thank you, sir. My sister taught me. I’ll see you again someday, Meredith.”

Every week, Meredith returned for a lemon cake. Whenever she saw Richard, she felt an odd feeling in her stomach, as if delicate butterflies were darting around inside her. She didn’t understand why her palms started sweating when she was around him, nor why she stumbled over her words. She reminisces upon a conversation she and her father had.  
“Stay away from Richard Bourke.” Her father had said.  
“Why?” she had asked. “He seems like a nice person.”  
“He does.” Her father agreed. “But there’s something off about him. I just don’t know what. He’s like one of those mock pies, looking all normal on the outside but tasting differently once you take a bite.”  
Meredith didn’t share in his concern. She thought that Richard was wonderful. She still felt the ghost of his lips on her hand, the touch of his hand as he comforted her. He’s such a sweet boy, she thought dreamily. He said that everything would be alright. He said that my mother would be proud of me.  
Her father returned with a boy. “You’re getting married,” he said. “This is Alexander Williams, and you will be taking his name.”  
Meredith sat still, her mouth hanging open in an undignified way. She would later say that she did not squawk, thank you very much.

It has been weeks. His heart ached and groaned in her absence. He could still feel the softness of her hand and hear her silvery voice. Richard kneaded out a brioche dough as he mused, straining to hear the jingling of bells and her laughter, even if he knew it was a lost cause. He must have done something wrong. Why would she just disappear? It made no sense.  
The door opening broke through his misery. Glancing up, he expected to see another middle aged upper classed man. No, it was Meredith! His smile dropped as he noticed the man following her.  
“Richard, I came to say goodbye.”  
His heart shattered. “Why? What did I do?”  
Meredith seemed guilty. “You didn’t do anything. My father said that I must be wed to Alexander Williams.”  
Richard examined Alexander’s tweed overcoat, and the golden watch he had. Inwardly, he sneered. He seemed quite plainly to be one of the snobby and arrogant upper-class men who blamed the lower classes for all their troubles. Why would Meredith’s father want her to marry some simpleton like him? The realization hit him like a bus. Meredith is getting married off, to some other man he hasn’t even heard of. Panic seized him as he realized that he most likely would never see Meredith again. “Then, promise me this, my dear. Meet me by moonlight, by the lake in Springbank tonight. Just for one last time, as I will never see you again.”  
Agreeing, Meredith turned to leave, leaving Alexander to follow her. Richard glared after him. “Watch your back, Sir Williams.”

“Richard, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what happened to your family? You said that you are alone.”  
They were sitting together on the hill, breathing in the cool night air, and staring at the moonlit water. Meredith felt at peace, comforted in a way that only Richard could make her feel, despite what happened earlier in the evening.  
Richard turned his head to look at her. “Are you sure you want to know? It isn’t a pretty story.”  
“Yes, I do. You’ve comforted me with my troubles, maybe I could comfort you too.”  
Richard was amazed. “I’m so lucky to know you Meredith. No one has ever cared so much about me before. No, don’t look at me like that. I’ve gotten used to it. If you want to know, I suppose I will tell you.” He took a deep breath, turning back to the stars. “My father wasn’t like yours. He wasn’t caring in any sense of the word.” Meredith looked at him with worry as he let out a bitter laugh. “He wasn’t a kind man. Nor was he a gentle man. I don’t know why my mother loved him.”  
“Oh Richard,” Meredith murmured. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I shouldn’t have asked, you don’t have to tell me.”  
“No, it feels good to let it out. I trust you.”  
Meredith’s heart leapt into her throat at those words.  
“I had a sister you know. She taught me how to bake. I was the elder child, she the younger, just the two of us. She loved me, and I, in turn, loved her. From all her small infractions, from my father’s belt I protected her. As I said, my father was never a gentle man. He got angry, and when he got angry, he didn’t seem like a man. He hurt my mother. Multiple times. Me and my sister, Wren, that was her name, we watched while being huddled up in the corner as he shouted. We were so scared that day. That day when my father killed my mother.”  
Meredith lifted her hand to her mouth, horror written across her features. “That’s so horrible, I can’t imagine a father doing that! My father is so caring, he will never do something like that.”  
“I don’t think my father is like most. I don’t think he meant to kill her. Evident by what he did next.”  
“And what did he do next?” Meredith asked cautiously.  
“He killed himself. That coward of a father killed himself. My sister passed away a week after.” Richard’s voice broke, his breath sounding out quickly. A sudden touch on his hand made him jerk back. Meredith’s eyes peered into his.  
“Then I’m sure that she would have been very proud of you.”  
Richard managed a small smile. “Thank you, Meredith. For being here.” Please don’t leave, came the unspoken plea. “You remind me of my sister. She loved those lemon cakes, just like you do. But…you are more than a sister to me. I love you, Meredith.”  
Letting out a gasp, she clenched her hand tighter around his. “I am engaged, I cannot be with you. I did not realize, for that I apologise.”  
“For that you apologise? How can you not see? Have I not been obvious? Do you not apologise, then, for breaking my poor heart? Do you not apologise, for the pain you have caused me, knowing that the one I love so does not feel the same?”  
Meredith opened her mouth to reply, but a sudden glint of red caught her attention. She held up Richard’s hand, seeing how the moonlight made his fingernails shine, seeing the darkness under his nails. She could smell it now, just the faint scent of metal and iron – blood. A feeling of unease crept into her. “Richard?” Her voice came out in a high shaky tone. “Richard, please, tell me that you did not do what I dread to think you have done.”  
“And what,” he shifted closer, “do you dread to think that I have done?”  
She could feel his breath against her face, and the shiver up her spine wasn’t entirely from the cold. “Richard, did you kill-” she choked up, not being able to imagine him doing such a horrible thing. “Did you kill Alexander?”  
“Yes,” he replied, his voice a breathy whisper. “Are you scared?”  
Meredith trembled in his arms. “Why wouldn’t I be? You’ve killed him.”  
One side of his mouth twisted up into a predatory smile. “Yes. Indeed I have.”  
“Why? He did nothing to you.”  
“He took away my love. I could not let that happen.”  
Meredith turned away, her insides seeming to twist and turn. Where was the sweet Richard, the boy who gave her lemon cakes and held her and spoke honeyed words? “My father was right about you. He said that he didn’t trust you, that you were hiding something. I didn’t believe him, but I am starting to.”  
Richard’s eyes flashed. “Do you know what happens now, Meredith?”  
Stay strong, her mother had said. So, she tilted her head up and asked, “What?”  
“If you don’t love me, I’ll kill your father.”  
Meredith felt like throwing up. Preferably all over Richard’s stupid smirking face. “But why?”  
“Because,” he began, throwing his arm back over her shoulders, “there is a bond between your heart and mine, and if that bond were to break, my darling, my heart would cease to beat, and I would die. Then you will be all alone, and as would I.”  
“Such sweet words, coming from such an ugly soul.” Meredith retorted.  
Richard’s hand shot forwards, grasping her chin. “You will not speak to me that way if you wish for your father to still be by your side.”  
Meredith could smell the blood, Alexander’s blood, and it was in her lungs and it was choking her, and she could not breathe. Richard’s cold fingers tightened around her jaw. A warning. “Fine. What do I have to do?”

“Is there anything wrong?”  
“No, father. Me and Richard love each other very much. There’s no need to worry.” Meredith smiled, hoping that her father would not notice the sweat building up on her neck and the quiver of her hands.  
Frederick nodded slowly, not seeming to believe her. As Meredith turned to leave, he called out. “You know you can tell me anything, right Meredith?”  
Meredith halted, bowing her head. “Of course father.” 

The bell rattled as Frederick stepped in. Richard looked up. “Good morning, sir. Where is Meredith?”  
“She’s at home. I’ve got some questions for you, lad. Won’t you indulge an old man in answering them?”  
“Of course.” Richard turned back to his dough. “Ask away, sir.”  
“I read an article about you and your family,” Frederick began. “and I couldn’t help but notice something very odd about your father’s death.”  
Richard stiffened. “What was odd about it? He killed himself.”  
“The article said that he had stab wounds on his back. How could he have stabbed himself in the back?” Frederick narrowed his eyes.  
“He was a very determined man.” Richard carefully dusted off his hands, making sure none of the flour got onto the floor.  
“No, that doesn’t quite add up. Meredith told me that your sister died a week later. The article said that she died on the same day as your parents. What did you lie about?”  
Richard’s jaw tightened. “Don’t talk about my sister. She died an honourable death, and I will forever mourn her.”  
Frederick smiled, not quite reaching his eyes. “I don’t doubt that. What did you lie about?”  
Richard didn’t turn around.  
“You don’t seem to want to answer. I suppose I must tell you my own theories then.”  
“Go on.” Richard inched sideways to the pastry tools piled on the table.  
“You killed him, didn’t you? Just like you did Alexander.”  
Richard stilled. “Meredith told you.” It wasn’t a question.  
“No, she didn’t. Meredith brings her fiancé to a boy who loves her, then said fiancé ends up dead and Meredith comes home late at night scared out of her wits. It wasn’t that hard to figure out. But what happened to your sister? You never told Meredith what happened to her, and the article didn’t say.”  
“She killed herself.” Richard spat. “I watched it all. I killed our father, she was devastated. I do not know why she cared for that monster of a man.”  
Frederick’s eyebrows rose. “I will, of course, be telling Meredith, and I am sure that the police are very interested in your pastries and will be coming by for a visit.”  
Richard grasped the chilled marble rolling pin, his body hiding it from Frederick. “You can’t tell Meredith. You just can’t. She’ll leave me, and she’s all I have left. I love her.”  
“Love is not like this.”  
“Love is a monstrous thing, good sir. It makes monsters of us all.”  
“If that is so, then a bakery is no place for such things. I am sure that the prisons are much better suited.” Turning to leave, Frederick heard a rushing noise, and a great pain exploded in his head, and he knew no more. 

“Richard?” Meredith called out. “Richard? Are you here? Where are you?”  
“I am here, my love.” Richard’s head popped up from behind the desk. “What do you require of me?”  
“Richard, have you seen my father? He is not home; I could not find him. I worry for him. It is dark, and he cannot see well.”  
Richard did not reply.  
Meredith felt perturbed. “Richard?” she asked weakly.  
He looked away, and that was all the answer that she needed.  
“You killed him. You killed him!” Meredith screamed, her voice shrill. Her hands clawed at her hair, the bakery spinning around her.  
“Don’t you see now, darling? Now it’s just you and me. We could get married and-”  
“What did I do? I did everything you told me to!”  
“He knew too much. He did not approve of us. I love you, and now there is no one stopping us.” Richard’s eyes met her own, his gaze no longer invoking butterflies.  
“Is this love, Richard? This chaos and messed up love? This murder-mayhem? If you love me, you would not have killed the ones I love.”  
“I killed them for you. I killed them because they stood between you and me. I could not allow that.” His voice was low, his body all sharp angles and dangerous edge.  
“Is this love? Love is caring, and affection. Love is singing songs by a warm fire or making promises of travel plans. Love is not this cautious bomb that you have set upon my heart.”  
“Do not describe the torments of love, when you clearly know nothing of them. Who do you think I am? A pure soul, to be redeemed? Affection? Affection has no place in the affairs of love, Meredith. You know a precious little about the human heart and the love and pain that comes with it.”  
“And you know nothing of love.” Meredith replied, fleering.  
Richard snarled, rushing forwards. He grabbed Meredith’s wrists, shoving her into the wall and pinning them there.  
Meredith laughed a mirthless laugh. “What are you going to do now? I have no one left. There is no one left that you could hurt me with. Will you kill me, the one that you claim to love so? Kill me then, so I may join my father.” She smiled sardonically.  
“I could not kill you. Not like this. Not today. Not ever.”  
Stay strong.

Perhaps it was the sheer anger that pumped through her, or the adrenaline. Thinking back, Meredith did not know. Now, looking down onto his unmoving chest, she realizes that it does not matter. Richard stared up at her, his eyes that were once filled with warmth and joy now empty and glazed. Cupping a hand on his cooling cheek, she whimpered. “I’m sorry.” She repeats. “I loved you, I love you, even after everything you’ve done. I was wrong, I’m sorry. You know love, and you loved me. I love you, now I realize that. I love you too, you know that? I’ve never told you. One of my many mistakes, I suppose. We’ll never get married, and I’ll never taste another one of your lemon cakes. I hope you’re with your sister now, getting the peace and love that I have never given you.”  
Meredith reluctantly turned away from Richard, her gaze falling upon her father sprawled on the stairs. The blood formed a circle around his head. She smiled, the tears in her eyes blinding her. “Oh father, so now you remember to wear your winter coat.” Meredith remembered making the coat with her mother, and how they saved up to buy the best wool for the many layers of the coat to keep her father warm.  
The chill of the cellars was biting, and the silence rang in her ears. Meredith had never felt so alone.  
Stay strong.  
“I’m sorry, Mother. I have broken my promise.” Her voice echoed in the damp cellars, a whisper. Meredith trudged up the stairs, avoiding her father’s motionless body. Pushing aside the ajar door, she stepped into the bakery. Spying a flash of silver, she glided towards it. As if in a trace, she grasped the handle, and made her way down with light, soundless steps. Kneeling beside Richard, she reached out with her hand and gently pushed down his eyelids. “Sleep, my love. I will be with you soon.”  
With the breadknife positioned over her left breast, she looked up. “Mother, I am coming.” 

The first thing he saw was darkness. Then, there it was-a light! But seemed so far away, and he could not reach it. He felt as if there was a heavy weight upon his chest, pressing against his lungs, not letting him escape. Then he remembered. Meredith! He must fight for Meredith! Reaching for the light, he ignored the darkness trying to drag him back down. When he reached the light, the brightness blinded him, the ringing in his ears growing louder. But he could see! He could see shelves and a ceiling light. He could see Richard. And there was Meredith! He stumbled over, disregarding the stabbing pain on his left side and the back of his head. Crumbling down beside her, he clutched her stiff body to his chest, his coat getting covered in her blood. He bemoaned, “Meredith, why did you leave me so?”  
His time was coming. This he knew. Soon, he will be with Marilyn and Meredith, and they will be together once more. He laid down his cane onto the weedy grass, looking to the full moon. The moonlight cast a glow onto the still lake.

**Author's Note:**

> I stayed up until 2 am drawing the characters. I drew them on Paint3D and the thing decided to crash on me and delete all of my work, but I redrew them. I have no idea how to add the art to this, so no character art today. I also tried to add indentations, but they didn't show up. I apologize.


End file.
